Last week I took part in “Cj’s Bootycamp” a week long event
taking place every morning from 6:45am – 8am to kick me into shape. Bootycamp was
set up by Carly; a Level 3 qualified Fitness instructor and busy mum
dedicated to promoting health and fitness. Carly’s main fitness passion is Muay
Thai Kick Boxing but believes that we need to challenge ourselves with
different kinds of activities to see a real improvement in our fitness.
Bootycamp came about as Carly believes that women should support and motivate
each other and uses high impact,
explosive exercise focusing on core strength and conditioning as the
main ethos. And it works.
When I first signed up to
the Bootycamp in December Carly sent me through a welcome pack with advice on
exercises to complete in preparation for the Bootycamp week and guidance on
healthy eating and nutrition with recipes from Miss Fighting Fit. This was fantastic
as it made it clear that Carly is willing to be fantastic resource and support
throughout your fitness journey and this holistic approach is key as it is
educating on how fitness and nutrition really do go hand in hand.
So what did Bootycamp involve? Each morning you went to Bootycamp
not knowing what to expect; this surprise element really went in its favour as
it made you excited to try new activities but also took away the potential
dread or boredom that an come with doing the same activity everyday; Carly
mixed up the sessions as well often by taking us outside for half the session
and then inviting guest instructors in to teach us all something new. Unfortunately
I was unable to make it to the Monday session but below details what we covered
for the rest of the week;
Tuesday
On Tuesday we had the pleasure of Ian Davies; Head Coach at
So8 Gym in Falmouth. Ian got us doing straightforward jabs to work
our arms, overhead boxing to work our shoulders, leg raises to work our abs and
wall sits to get our legs burning. All of these activities were timed and what
really impressed me about Ian’s technique was how much he emphasised the power
of the mind; how our mind will give up before our body will and we need to get ourselves
into a zone, distract ourselves and push through. I have no doubt that training
with Ian on a regular basis would push me out of my comfort zone into a whole
new level of fitness. Afterwards Carly took us outside to some hill sprints (on
Tuesday this was more of a slope but each day the hill sprints got steeper!)
and then got us working in pairs to do different kind of ab exercises where we
would hopefully not even realise we were working as she uses tools to distract
you.
Wednesday
Wednesday we started off outside running around the centre
of Truro; sprinting through the subway and up steps, doing press-ups and tricep
dips on the benches in the piazza and then jogging back to TR1 fitness to
complete circuit training. This for me was a real eye opener into my fitness as
it really tested my strength and endurance. Stations included box jumps (which
I have always had an irrational fear about), step ups, planks, squats, shoulder
press, speed ball and boxing. I really felt the effects of this session and
must admit felt absolutely shattered at the end. However I think my tiredness
may have also been attributed by the fact that I didn’t take in enough calories
the day before; it’s amazing the difference that it makes. Circuit training is definitely
going to be added to my work out routine following this session.
Thursday
On Thursday Carly spent the first half of the session giving
us a spin class. Now I love spin; it has been a long time since I did a class
and I loved getting back into it. It makes your legs burn and gets your heart
rate up; I can’t help but smile all the way through, although I’m not sure if
that is more of a grin and bear it type smile! The one thing I would say is
that if you are going to a spin class make sure you take plenty of water and a
towel because you will sweat. A lot.
Following the spin we did Bootycamp’s version of leg day by doing sprints,
lunges, bunny hops and duck walks in the car park. Ouch.
Friday
Friday again was doing an activity that I absolutely love; Kettle
bells. I really need to do this more often. Again we had a guest instructor in
as this was something that Carly had actually never done before herself and it
was brilliant. Set up in a circuit we had different movements to complete at
each station as well as a few bodyweight exercises thrown in. Using kettle
bells really gets your heart rate up; it is a great example of where lifting
weights can also be a cardiovascular exercise aswell and they can be used to
target every section of your body. If you’re not into lifting weights on the
whole I would suggest you give kettle bells a go.
Saturday
The last day of Bootycamp, Carly had us sprinting up the
steepest hill yet, running around the town with a weighted bar above our heads
and lunging, squatting, shoulder pressing and doing stand up rows on the
piazza. Getting outside and exercising really does make it more fun and
exercising it groups gives you that little bit of peer pressure to ensure you
keep going when you otherwise might want to stop. When we got back to the
studio it was time to take another leaf from the Muay Thai and handbook with
kicks. Watching Carly do it; she made it look powerful and easy. Not so much
for me! When I was in Thailand last year i did this twice a day, every day for
a week and thought I would still be quite good at it; not the case at all. We
started off with 1 kick, then 2, then 3, then 4, then 5 and back down again and
then moved onto the next leg. It really made me realise how much your strength
and fitness diminishes if you don’t use it! My kicks were not at all powerful
and if I’m honest it was the hardest cardio I did all week and have done in a
long time. Afterwards I felt brilliant but know this is something I really need
to get back into.
My overall view of the Bootycamp is that it is a fantastic
introduction to different forms of exercise; Carly makes it fun and varied and
pushes you without making you feel under pressure or unhappy about it; it was
an enjoyable environment and I would definitely recommend it. So many women don’t
exercise because they feel self conscious or lack motivation; this environment
takes those worries away as Carly is a great motivator and the female only
environment promotes camaraderie and as everyone is at different levels you don’t
feel self conscious if there are some activities you can’t do as well. For me
personally, I learnt that I need to do more High Intensity Interval Training
(HIIT) and circuits to boost my fitness and two main areas of strength that
need working on are my core and my upper body. I would absolutely book onto Cj’s
Bootycamp again as no matter what level of fitness you are; a solid week of completing
all different activities pushes you out of your comfort zone and challenges
you; which is something we should never stop doing.
All photos courtesy of Cj's Bootycamp
